An Introduction to NationStates

Have you ever wondered what a nation would be like if it were based on your beliefs? What would you need to do to drive your citizens to madness? Now you can experience some of the aspects of running your own country by playing the fun browser-based game, NationStates.

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What is NationStates?

NationStates is a free role-playing political and nation simulation game written with a humorous slant. It has many similarities to the game Cyber Nations, as both are nation simulation games. However, that is where the similarities end. There is no way to "win" the game, for example--those with the most powerful economies or most powerful military, cannot win the game. Also, you cannot wage wars with other nations or countries.

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Creating Your Nation

The nation creation screen gives you options to select your country's name, flag, government style, currency, national animal, and national motto. As your nation grows, you can unlock more customizations such as your nation's capital, national leader, and national religion.

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Growing Your Nation

The way to grow your country is to answer “issues”. Every decision that you make will affect the growth of your nation. You can make up to two decisions a day.You can also set the game on vacation mode if you will be away from your computer or Internet access for an extended period of time.

Once you've gone through the nation creation prcoess, your nation will be classified into a political category.

You create and mold your nation based on decisions regarding topics like book-banning, if voting should be compulsory, the right to clone, and more. However, as serious as the issues may be or sound, they are written in ways to give any player a chuckle. Sometimes you may be surprised to find that your citizens' reactions are not what you had anticipated when you make a choice. Your selections can also weaken or improve your nation's civil rights, economy, and political freedoms.

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Joining a Region

Joining a region in NationStates is what brings the game come to life. Although most of your nation's issues can be decided in minutes, the rest of the time can be spent through forums or regional activity. You can play the game in single player mode, but being part of a region brings more interaction with others in NationStates.

There are many themed regions. Some examples are regions based on the movie Star Wars or regions based on real-world places such as Europe or North America. Such regions bring many opportunities for those that are true to the ideals of role-playing games.

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World Assembly

The World Assembly is similar to its real-world counterpart, the United Nations. Joining the World Assembly is not mandatory, but as a member, you are allowed to endorse a delegate for your region. You are also allowed to vote on resolutions. As a member, you must abide by the World Assembly's rulings. Through NationState's forums, you can draft and propose programs that affect all countries in the World Assembly.